Lasting machine



Dec. 1944. w. T. B. ROBERTS LASTING MACHINE Original Filed Feb; 23, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventar l/Vllz'am TB. Roberts Dec. 26, 1944. w. T@ B. ROBERTS LASTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheef 2 Original Filed Feb. v23, 1943 [n ven for V/llam TB. Roberts l By his Attorney Paienfed Dec. 26, 1944' UNITED STATES PATENT i OFFICE LASTING MACHINE l William Thomas Buckingham Roberts, Leicester, England, assignor to United Shoe Machinery y Corporation, Flemington, N, J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application February 23, 1943, Serial No. i 476,828. Divided and this application February 14, 1944, Serial No. 522,243. In Great Britain February 28, 1942 8 Claims.

This invention relates to lasting machines, the present applicationbeing a division of another pending application Serial No. 476,828, filed on February 23, 1943. The invention is herein illustrated as appliedto a power-operated toe-lasting machine of the same general character as disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,134,148, granted on October 25, 1938, on an application of mine, but modied in certain respects as further disclosed particularly in Letters Patent No. 2,138,308, granted von Novembery 29, 1938, and No. 2,140,652, granted on December heightwise of the last and thereafter controlsl the marginal portion of the upper as it is wiped inwardly over the insole. After the wipers have completed their inward wiping movements, they are partially'retracted from over the shoe bottom and are then moved inwardly again to posi-y tions short of the limits of their first inward movements, whereupon a plurality of fasteninginserting devices are operated to drive a row of tacks beyond but near the edges of the wipers to fasten the upper in lasted position.

The above-mentioned fastening-inserting devices, consisting of a plurality of tackers, are so mounted as to permit them to swing individually in inward or outward directions transversely of the edge of the shoe bottom, and they are maintained in a properly grouped relation byplates having edgesv curved similarly to the wiping edges of the wipers and against which the devices are held by springs, the machine having means for imparting to these plates advancing and closing movements similar to corresponding movements of the wipers to bring the devices into proper positions for the insertion of the fastenings along the edges of the Wipers. When the wipers are removed, as they sometimes are, to permitA dierently shaped wipers to be substituted for shoes lof a dilerent size or style, it is customary also to remove the plates which control the fastening-inserting devices and to substitute therefor differently formed plates appropriate for the different wipers. Heretofore, u pon such removal of the plates, the fastening-inserting devices released by the plates have been swung outwardlyby their springs, and it has been a matter of considerable difficulty 'for the operator to return them to their properly grouped relation in mounting new plates in the machine. The present invention accordingly provides means for holding the fastening-inserting devices in their properly grouped relation when the 'means for controlling the devices is removed from the machine. As herein illustrated, the holding means vcomprises. a flexible member controlled by levers which are movable to apply it about the group of devices preparatory to the removal of the controlling plates.

The invention further provides novel means for preventing portions of the wipers from being sprung heightwise of the shoe by the pressure of the upper thereon in the lasting operation.

As herein illustrated, a substantially U-shaped device is arranged to cause the end faces of its two arms to engage the end portions of the wipers acting at the sides of the shoe bottom and thus to prevent them from being sprung as `above described, the device being mounted for `swinging movement out of operative position about an axis extending heightwise of the shoe to facilitate removal of the wipers from the machine. In order to insure that the above-described means for holding the fastening-inserting devices during the removal of their controlling plates will have been returned to a position such as not to interfere with the movements of the devices prior to the next operation of the machine, the. construction herein shown is further such as to prevent the return of the U-shaped wiper-controlling device to its normal position unless the holding means has thus been returned.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more'particularly described with reference to the `accompanying drawings and thereafter pointed out in the claims.

- In the drawings,

Fig. l is mainly a plan view showing portions of the fastening-inserting devices or tackers of the illustrative machine and the means for controlling them, together With means provided by therpresent invention for holding the devices lwhen the controlling means is removed;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the strucline V-V of Fig .1,

Fig. 6 is a perspective front view showing parf ticularly the wipers and the device for preventing their front end portions from beingy sprung;

heightwise of the shoe; l

Fig. 7 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of certain parts shown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a view, partly in right-hand side elevation and partly in section, showing the wipers and the fastening-inserting devices and other parts associated therewith as they appear subplates I6 are provided with cam slots 22 in which lie rolls 24 mounted on pins 26 on the table I8 to guide the carrier plates and their tackerycontrolling lplates I2 in.theirclosing and opening movements laterallyr ofthe shoe. Connected tothe carrier plates are links 28 yand connected to the table I8 are ,links 30, the links 28 and 30 corresponding respectively to the links 293 and 291 Vof the above-mentioned Letters Patent. It Will be understood that through these links the advancingand closing movements are imparted to the plates I2 in proper time relation to the corresponding movements of the wipers.

For supporting the plates I2 on the carrier plates I6, the plates I2 are provided with arcuate l tongues 32 (Figs. 3' and 4) arranged to t in comstantially at the beginning of the wiping` of the i upper heightwise of the last by the wipers.

vFor wiping the toe end of the upper heightwise of the last and' for thereafter wiping its margin inwardly over an insole on the last the machine is provided with a pair of wipers 2 (Figs.

6 and 8) having' wiping edges curved to embrace the upper around the toe and operated by means fully disclosed in .the above-mentioned Letters Patent No. 2,134,148. The shoe is positioned bottom upward for the toe-lasting operation and is clamped and held in that position between an insole-engaging holddown 4 and a toe rest 6. Arranged to cooperate with the wipers is a retarder 8 which clamps the upper outspread on the wipers, as shown in Fig. 8, to apply a pull thereto.`

as the upper is wiped heightwise of the lastand"y continues to` control the upper as the wipers are advanced and closed to wipe its marginal portion inwardlyvover the insole. Thereafter, following partial retractivev movementsand'second inward movements of thewipers, a plurality of tackers IIJ (Figs. 1 and 8) are moved into tackinserting positions beyond but near the edges of the lwipers and are operated to drive tacks to fasten the margin of the toe end of the upper I2 are advanced bodily lengthwise of the shoek and are swung or closed inwardly widthwise of the shoe in time relation `to corresponding movements of the wipers to cause the tackers to be properly grouped and positioned relatively to the edges of the wipers when the tacks are driven. As disclosed in the last-mentioned Letters Patent, the tackers are supported above the plates I2 for swinging movements in inward or. outward directions transversely of the edge of the shoe bottom andl are-controlled by springs (not herein shown) whichtend to swing them in outward directions and hold them against the inner edges of the plates I2 which are curved similarly to the'wiping edges ofthe wipers. These plates are detachably supported on carrier plates I6 (Fig. 2), corresponding* to theplates 290 of the lastmenti-oned Letters Patent, the carrier plates being mounted on a table I8 supported on thelower ends `of parallel links 20, as also more fully plemental recesses. in the carrier plates. Additional supporting means for the plates I2 is afforded by L-shaped clips 34 vwhich are secured to these plates and portions of which extend outwardly over the carrier plates I6. The plates I2 are held detachably in their proper positions on the carrier plates by pins 36 which extend through holes in the carrier platesy into holes in the plates I2 (Fig. 4), these pins having heads 38 which overlie portions of the carrier plates. Bearing on the head of each pin is a leaf spring 40 a portion of which is clamped between the upper surface of the corresponding carrier plate and a member 42 secured to this plate. This arrangement permits the plates I2 to be readily removed when it is necessary to substitute differently shaped plates to correspond to differently shaped Wipers to be used in the machine, since removal of the pins 36 leaves thev plates I2 free to be detached' from their carrier plates I6.

Removal of the platesy I2 as above described would, unless prevented, free the tackers ID to the action of theircontrolling springs, so that they would be swung individually in outward directions bythe springs, and it would be a matter of considerable difficulty for the operator. to swing them all inwardly again to their proper positions and to hold them in properly grouped relation during the insertion of a substitute pair of plates in the machine. For purposes of this invention the machine herein shown is accordingly provided with means for holdingthe tackers substantially in their normal grouped relation during removal of the plates I2l and the substitution' of other plates. This means comprises a pair of curved levers 44 (Fig. 1) arranged in crossed relation to each other and mounted to swing `respectively about differentV pins 46 supported by the table I8. Supported on rearwardly extending armsof the levers 44 are trunnion blocks 48 through which extends a transverse. rod 50 having right and left screw threads engaging respectively the different trunnion blocks. .Upon rotation of thisrod, therefore, by a suitable knob (not shown) on its left-hand end the :front end portions of the curved levers 44 are swung inwardly towardeach other withA components of' forward4 movements toward theyfrontof' the machine. Eivotallyl mountedl cnal vertical pin 52 on the front end of each of the levers 44 is a plate-like member 54. Each member 54 is arranged to present al rearwardly and inwardly extending inner'l edge 56 and is further provided near its front end with apair' of downwardly extending lugs 58 spaced apartv forwardly and yrearwardly of the machine. Extendingr through the two pairs of lugs and secured to the forward lug of each pair are the opposite end portions of a nexible wire brace or loop 60. This wire brace and the inner edges 56 of the plate-like members 54 are normally positioned a short distance away from the outer facesof the group of tackers l0, as shown in Fig. 1. When it is desired toremove the plates l2 the front ends of the levers 44 are swung inwardly and forwardly by turningthe rod 50 in one direction, thereby wrapping the wire brace 60 about the group of tackers and bringing the edges 5B `of the members 54 into contact with several of the tackers near the opposite ends of the group. Preferably, the levers 44 are thus moved far enough to separate the tackers slightly from the edges of the plates I2. Thereafter, when these plates are removed and while other plates are being substituted, the tackers are held in assembled relation and are prevented from springing outwardly. To afford better control for the members 54 when they are moved inwardly against the tackers, each of .these members is provided at its rear end with an'upwardly extending pin (i2 arranged to engage the inner lface of the lever 44 associated therewith.

, For purposes also of the present invention, the machine herein shown is further provided with means for engaging the upper faces of the front end portions of the wipers 2 to prevent them from being sprung upwardly by the pressure of U-shaped brace or bridge piece 64 (Figs. 6 and` '7) pivotally mounted at its left-hand end on a vertical stud EE corresponding to the left-hand vstud identified by the reference character |23 in Letters Patent No. 2,134,148. At its right-hand end the bridge piece has a slot B8 (Fig. 7) eX- tending into it -fro-m the rear to receive a second vertical stud 10 corresponding to the right-hand stud |23 of the above-mentioned Letters Patent, and mounted in the bridge piece is a springpressed detent 'l2 arrangedto engage this stud to hold the bridge piece in operative position. The lower end faces of the vertical arms of the bridge piece are arranged to engage the top faces of the front end portions of the wipers as above described. Before removing the wipers and the corresponding tacker-controlling plates I2, when different wipers and plates are to be substituted, the operator swings the bridge piece 64 forwardly about the left-hand stud 66, the detent 12 yielding to permit this movement of the bridge piece. In order to insure that the wire brace 60 will have been returned to an idle position, where it Awill not interfere with the movements of the tackers, before the machine is next operated after substitute wipers and tacker-controlling plates have been inserted, the levers M controlling the wire brace are provided at their frontl ends with forwardly projecting lugs 14 (Fig. 1), and the bridge piece 64 is provided with rearwardly projecting lugs 16 (Fig. 7) which will engage the lugs 14 and prevent the bridge piece from being returned to its operative position if the levers 44 have not been moved by the turning of the rod 50 to return the wire brace. i

1. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers having wipingv edges curved to embrace an end portion of an upper and movable to wipe the margin of the upper inwardly over an insole on a last, of a plurality of fastening-inserting devices for inserting fastenings in a row along the edges of the wipers to fasten the upper, controlling means for maintaining said fasteninginserting devices properly grouped relatively to the edges of the wipers, said controlling means being removable to permit differently formed means to be substituted when differently shaped wipers are used in the machine, and mechanism movable into position to hold said fastening-inserting devices in their `grouped relation when said vcontrolling means is removed and other such means substituted.

2. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers having wiping edges curved to embrace an end portion of an upper and movable to wipe the margin of the upper inwardly over an insole on a last, of a plurality of fastening-inserting devices for inserting fastenings in a row along the edges of the wipers to fasten the upper, ecntrolling members having faces curved similarly to the edges of the wipers for maintaining said fastening-inserting devices in properly grouped wipers having wiping edges curved to embrace The manner of use of the structure provided an end portion of an upper and movable to wipe the margin of the upper inwardly over an insole on a last, of a plurality of fastening-inserting devices for inserting fastenings in a row along the edges of the wipers to fasten the upperl controlling members having faces curved similarly to the edges of the wipers for maintaining said fastening-inserting devices in properly grouped relation, said members being removable to permit members having differently curved faces to be substituted when differently shaped wipers are used in the machine, a eXible member arranged to embrace the group of fastening-inserting devices/and to hold them in properly grouped relation when said controlling members are removed and other such members substituted, and levers supporting said flexible member and movable to apply it to the group of fastening-inserting devices.

4. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable to wipe the margin of an upper inwardly over an insole on a last around an end of the last, of a substantially U-shaped device so mounted as to cause the end faces of its two arms to engage end portions of the wipers acting at the sides of the shoe bottom to prevent said portions of the wipers from being sprung heightwise of the last by the pressure of the upper thereon.

5. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable to wipe the margin of an upper inwardly over an insole on a last around an end of the last, of a device arranged to engage end portions of the wipers acting at the sides of the shoe bottom to prevent said portions of the wipers from being sprung heightwise of the last by' pressure of the upper thereon, said device. being mounted for swinging movement out of opervative position to facilitate removal of the Wipers from the machine. i

6. In a lasting machine, the combination with Wipers movable to Wipe the margin of an upper inwardly over an insole on a last around an end of the last, of a substantially U-shaped device so arranged as to cause the end. faces of its two arms to engage end portions of the wipers acting at the sides of the shoe bottom to prevent said portions of the wipers from being sprung heightwise of the last by pressure of the upper thereon, said device being mounted for swinging movement out of operative position about an axis extending heightwisev of the last to facilitate removal of the wipers from the machine.

'7. In a lasting machine, the combination with Wipers having wiping edges curved to embrace an end portion of an upper andmovable to wipe the margin of the upper inwardly over an insole on a last, ofv a plurality of fastening-inserting devices for inserting fastenings in a row along the edges of the Wipers to fasten the upper, controlling means for maintaining said fasteninginserting devices properly grouped relatively to the edges of the wipers, said controlling rmeans being removable to permit differently formed means to be substituted when differently shaped wipers are used in the machine, mechanism movable into position to holdsaid fastening-inserting devices in their grouped relation whenA said controlling means is removed and other such means substituted, bracing meansv arranged to engage portions of the wipers to prevent them from being sprung heightwise of the `last by the pressure of the upper thereon, said bracing means being :ai-,aangaan displaceable: to facilitate removal of thev wipers from the machine, and means `for preventing' return of said bracing means to its normal position unless said mechanism for holding the fas tening-inserting devices has been moved `away from said devices.

8. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers having wiping edges curved to embrace an end portion of an upper and movable to wipe the margin of the upper inwardly over an insole on a last, of a plurality of fastening-inserting devices for inserting fastenings in a row alongthe edges of the Wipers to fasten the upper, controlling means for maintaining said fastening-inserting devices properly grouped relatively to the edges ofthe Wipers, said controlling means being removable to permit differently formed means to be substitutedy when differently shaped wipers are used in the machine, a flexible member arranged to embrace the group of'fastening-inserting devices and to hold them in properly grouped relation when said controlling means is removed and other such means substituted, levers sup porting said flexible member and movable to apply it to the group of fastening-inserting devices, and bracing means arranged to engage porti'ons of the wipers to prevent them from being sprung heightwise of the lastby the pressure of the upper thereon, said bracing means beingy displaceable to facilitate removal of the wipers and said levers being arranged t0 prevent return of the bracing means to its normal position unless said flexible member has been moved away from the fastening-inserting devices.

WILLIAM THOMAS BUCKINGHAM ROBERTS. 

